Duplex-acting percussive boiler-tube cleaner



W. BURLINGHAM.

DUPLEX'ACTING PERCUSSIVE BOILER TUBE CLEANER. APPLICATION FILED 001215.1915.

1,339,098. I v Patented May 4,1920.

\ INVENTOR WITNESSES b 1 I ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM BP'RLINGHAM, 0F NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO ENGINEERINGPRODUCTS CORPORATION, OF NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA, A CORPORATION OF VIR-GINIA.

DUPLEX-ACTING PERCUSSIVE BOILER-TUBE CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 1920.

Application filed October 15, 1915. Serial No. 56,003.

7 To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM BURLING- HAM, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Newport News, county of Warwick, State of Virginia,have invented a new and useful Duplex-Acting Percussive Boiler- TubeCleaner, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of a novel construction of a percussive boilertube or flue cleaner, wherein a plurality of independent or removablecutting devices or blades are adapted to be not only simultaneouslyradially spread or rapidly vibrated but also reciprocated within a tubeor fine, to loosen and remove deposits of scale from the inner or outersurfaces thereof, said blades being carried by resilient shanks adaptedto extend substantially the entire length of the body or barrel of thetool and being held in assembled position by suitable means whereby incase of breakage any one of said placed.

It further consists of novel means for constantly admitting fluidpressure to a suitable portion of my novel device, whereby thereoiprocations of the hammering piston will efiect not only a radialspreading of the cutting blades but owing to the constant live airpressure upon an auxiliary piston which serves as a support or carrierfor said blades, the latter will have not only a radial outward movementbut also a simultaneous longitudinal reciprocatory movement. It furtherconsists of a novel construc-, tion of a piston or carrier for the fixedends of the spring arms which carry the radial blades or cutters, saidcarrier being so disposed and collocated with respect to the blades andthe live air inlet supply, that there is a constant pressure of live airupon said piston or carrier, whereby the blades or cutters will haveimparted simultaneously thereto and to said carrier a reciprocatorymovement at the same time that they are radially expanded.

It further consists of other novel features of construction, all as willbe hereinafter fully set forth.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown in theaccompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferred byme, since the same will give in practice satisfactory and reliableresults, although it is to be understood that the var ouslnstrumentalities of which my inventlon consists can be variouslyarranged and organized and that my invention is not limlted to theprecise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities asherein shown and described.

Figure 1 represents a longitudinal sect1on, partly in elevation, of aduplex percussive tube or flue cleaner embodying my lnventlon.

Fig. 2 represents a section on line w-w Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 represents a perspective view of one of the cutters and itsresilient arm in detached position.

Fig. 4. represents an end elevation of the right-hand end of my noveldevice seen in Fig. 1.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in thefigures.

Referring to the drawings 1 designates my novel construction of duplexacting percussive tube or flue cleaner, the same comprising a cylinderor barrel 2, which is open at its rear end and provided with the chamber3 for the piston or carrier 4:, which is provided with a groove 5 and ahead 6, said groove 5 receiving the offset or inturned ends 7 of theresilient members or shanks 8, which are provided with the terminalcutters or blades 9, the outer surfaces 10 of the latter terminating inthe cutting edge 11, which is adapted when rapidly vibrated to contactwith and loosen and dislodge the scale 12 on the inner surface of thetube or flue 13. The inner juxtaposed edges 1.4 of the blades or cutters9 are inclined or converge outwardly substantially asseen in Fig. 1,their angle of inclination conforming substantially to the conical end15 of the piston 16 which reciprocates in the piston chamber 17, thelatter being of larger diameter than said piston, which fits easily thebore 18 which is of lesser diameter than the piston chamber, the latterbeing slightly larger than the head 19 at the rear of said piston 16,the shoulder 20 limiting the forward movement of said piston.

21 designates a partition or plug intermediate the chambers 23 and 17.In order to conveniently introduce the motive fluid, as compressed air,into the implement, I secure the plug 22 in the rear of the barrel 2 byany suitable means, the outer end or extension thereof being threaded,as at'23, and having the inlet duct 24, which leads to the passage 25,which extends longitudinally of the barrel and is provided with theinlet port 26, through which live air is constantly introduced into thepiston chamber 3, so as to tend to move the piston or carrier 1 and itsadjuncts constantly to the left.

27 designates another inlet port located near the shoulder 20, wherebylive air is illtroduced into the piston chamber 17 and when the partsare in the position seen in Fig. 1, live air will flow through the ports28 into the piston chamber 29 and will tend to force the piston 16forwardly or to the right. After the piston has moved to the right sothat the ports 28 are in position beyond the end 30 of the barrel 21, topermit of exhaust from said piston chamber, the preponderance of motivefluid pressure upon the shoulder 31 will tend tomove the piston to theleft again into the position seen in Fig. 1. This cycle of operation toeffect the reciprocations of the piston will be familiar to thoseskilled in the art and need not be described in further detail. Thecylinder or barrel 2 is provided with slots 82 in which the offset ends7 of the spring arms 8 have their bearings and said ends are seated inthe groove 5'of the piston 4c, the walls of said groove serving toretain said ends 7 in position, so that they reciprocate in unison withthe movements of said piston, said ends 7 being held in said groove bythe ring or similar locking device 33, which is sprung or secured uponthe seats or recesses 34: formed near the junction of the arms 7 and 8,as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 3. The plug 22 after beingscrewedor otherwise secured in the barrel 2 is held in position by thewasher 35 and nut 36 or other suitable fastening devices.

The operation is as follows The live motive fluid having been introduced into the passage as will simultaneously flow through the port 26into the chamber 3 and will normally tend to retain the carrier piston4: in its left-hand position seen in' Fig. 1, it being apparent thatlive motive fluid simultaneously flowing through the port 27 will whenthe parts are in the position seen in Fig. 1 fill the hollow pistonchamber 29, and by reason of the diflerential pressure areas, will forcethe hammering piston 16 forwardly or to the right, whereupon the contactof the conical end 15 with the converging walls 1a of the blades orcutters 9 will cause the same to be rapidly vibrated in a radial oroutward direction,

' whereby the contact of the scale removing portions 10 and 11 with thescale 12 will cause the said scale to be removed from the interior ofthe boiler tube. \Vhen the piston 16 has reached its extreme forward orrighthand position, the exhaust is permitted through the ports 28,whereupon the pressure of the motive fluid entering through the port 27against the shoulder 31 of the head 19 will cause the piston toagainassume the position seen in Fig. 1, it being apparent that by reason ofthe constant live motive fluid pressure upon the carrier piston 4 whichis permitted through the ports 26,

that there will be imparted not only a rapid V vibratory or radialmovement to the cutting blades 9, but there will also be impartedthereto a longitudinal reciprocatory movement whereby the efficiency ofthe device is greatly increased.

t will be further apparent that by reason of the constant live motivefluid pressure which is always entering through the port 26, thetendency will be to move the carrier piston 4C normally to the left.This tendency will be overrome by the impact of the fo'r- I ward end 15of the piston 16 against the blades 9, it being apparent that when saidpiston in its forward movement contacts with said blades, the latterwill be moved intermittently forward and expanded, and by reason of theconstant pressure entering through the port 26, the carrier piston 4cwill always have a tendency to move rearwardly or to the left, carryingwith it the shanks 8 of the cutters and theiradjuncts,

control the reciprocations of the hammering piston by means of a valveof any suitable construction. The exhaust which place from the ports 28will blow into the boiler tube or fine and remove the chipped scale ordeposit at the end of the same. As

takes 7 the entire tool is comparatively short, it can be employed infines of considerable curvature and the cutting blades will strike veryrapid and short blows upon the deposits, disintegrate the same and knockthem from the exterior or interior of the tube or fine, as is evident.

If desired, my device can be employed to remove external scale ordeposits from a tube or flue, the same being dislodged by the impact ofthe blades 9' upon the 'inside'of the flue, as will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art.

The spring shanks 8 of the vibrating cutting impact blades are ofsufiicient resiliency to cause the blades to spring inwardly to ward theaxis of the tool when the tapering end of the rapidly reciprocatingpiston or plunger is returned from between their converging walls, andas the spaces between the outer portions of the blades areproportionately wide, there is provided sufficient room for the detritusremoved from the interior of the flue to be easily blown out therefromby the exhaust through the ports 28.

In case the blades, their shanks or their offset ends 7 break or losetheir elasticity, the same can be readily removed by withdrawing theretaining ring or looking device 33 therefrom, so that any one or all ofthe resiliently supported hammering blades are readily accessible andcan be removed and replaced without dismantling or disturbing any of theother elements of the device.

The parts can be readily assembled or disconnected upon the removal ofthe plug 22, whereupon the carrier piston 4 can be with drawn and thepartition or plug 21 removed, whereupon the piston 16 can be readilywithdrawn from the rear end of the apparatus, as is evident.

By the employment of the carrier piston 4 and the constantly open liveair port 26 in conjunction with the resilient arms or shanks 8 havingtheir inturned ends mounted upon or secured to said carrier piston, itwill be apparent that provision is made for a simultaneous rapidreciprocal movement to be imparted to the blades or cutting devices 9,whereby the eliiciency of the device is reatly increased.

s far as I am aware, I am the first in the art to employ a carrierpiston having secured thereto the resilient arms or shanks of thecutting blades and having constantly open live air ports as 26 wherebyconstant pressure is exerted upon an end of said carrier piston eitheralone or in conjunction with a percussion tool having its forward endadapted to coact with the juxtaposed edges of the cutting blades, and myclaims to these features are to be interpreted with corresponding scope.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Let ters Patent, is

1. In a device of the character stated, a cylinder having a front pistonchamber and a rear piston chamber, a partition separating said chambers,a reciprocating carrierpiston located in the rear piston chamber,cutting devices having their inner ends connected with said carrierpiston so as to be reciprocated in unison therewith, means forintroducing constant live air pressure into both piston chambers, and ahammering piston in the front piston chamber the reciprocation of whichoccasions the radial vibration of the cutting devices.

2. In a device of the character stated, a cylinder embodying twoseparated axially alined piston chambers, a plurality of cuttersresiliently supported upon the cylinder, the cutting blades of whichextend beyond the forward end of said cylinder, a carrier piston withinthe rear piston chamber, to which the inner ends of said cutters areconnected, a hammering piston within the front piston chamber the outerend of which contacts with the inner walls of the cutter' blades, andports communicating with both piston chambers to admit constant live airpressure into both piston chambers and thereby occasion the simultaneousreciprocation of both pistons and of the cutters and the simultaneousvibration of the cutter blades.

3. In a device of the character stated, a cylinder having a front pistonchamber and a rear piston chamber, a partition separating said chamber,each of the latter having inlet ports for the admission of constant liveair pressure, a plurality of cutters, resilient shanks for said cutterssupported upon said cylinder, said shanks being capable of bothlongitudinal reciprocation and radial vibration, the inner ends of saidshanks being deflected inwardly through openings in the walls of saidcylinder, a carrier piston within the rear piston chamber with which theinner ends of said shanks are connected, and a hammering piston withinthe front piston chamber the for ward end of which is adapted to contactwith the inner walls of said cutters.

4. In a device of the character stated, a cylinder having a front pistonchamber, a rear piston chamber, a partition separating said chambers andeach having ports for the admission of constant live air pressure, aplurality of cutters resiliently supported upon said cylinder, saidcutters being capable of both longitudinal reciprocation and radialvibration, the inner ends of the shanks of said cutters being deflectedinwardly through openings in the walls of said cylin der, a carrierpiston within the rear pistonchamber with which the inner ends of saidcutter shanks are connected, a hammering piston within the front pistonchamber and having its forward end adapted to contact with the innerwalls of said cutters, and means for supplying constant live airpressure simultaneously to both piston chambers thereby effecting thesimultaneous longitudinal reciprocation of both pistons.

5. In a device of the character stated, a

cylinder having a front piston chamber, a.

rear piston chamber, each having ports for the admission of constantlive air pressure, a plurality of resiliently mounted cutterslongitudinally disposed upon said cylinder and capable of bothlongitudinal reciprocation and radial vibration, resilient shanks forsaid cutters, ?the inner ends of said shanks passing inwardly throughlongitudinal openings in the walls of said cylinder, a carrier pistonwithin the rear piston chamber formed to receive the inner ends of saidshanks, means for retaining said inner ends in engagement with saidcarrier piston, a hammering piston within the front piston chamber,adapted to effect the radial vibration of said cutters, and means forsupplying constant live air pressure to both of said piston chambers tocause the simultaneous reciprocation of said pistons.

6. In a device of the character stated, a cylinder having two separatedpiston chambers and pressure supply ducts for said 1 chambers, aplurality of resilient shanks supported upon said cylinders, cutterscarried by said shanks, the inner ends of said shanks being inturned topass through openings in said cylinder, a carrier piston within thechamber into which the inturned ends of the cutters extend and adaptedto' receive the inturned ends of said shanks, means for removablyretaining said ends with relation to said carrier piston, a hammeringpiston in the other of said chambers, adapted to contact with the innerwalls of said cutters, and means for supplying constant live airpressure to both piston chambers to effect the simultaneousreciprocation of both pistons.

WVILLIAM BURLINGHAM. Vitnesses:

C. G. BARTLETT, L. O. BRANCH.

